Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm off to celebratory start

One of the first and largest wind farm projects in the country celebrated the start of  construction in Jeffreys Bay at the beginning of this month.

The 138 MW Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm is part of the South African Government’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) and is the first wind farm to be constructed in Kouga, with several others in the pipeline. 

The farm, between Jeffreys Bay and Humansdorp, is owned by a consortium of companies providing renewable energy, including Globeleq, Mainstream Renewable Power, Old Mutual, Thebe Investment Corporation, engineering firms Enzani Technologies, Usizo Engineering and a local community trust.
The 138MW Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm will consist of 60 Siemens SWT 2.3 MW wind turbines. The site is situated across a total of eight farms and spans almost 3700 hectares of land.
Around 200 jobs are expected to be created during the construction period but the number of jobs will vary from month to month depending on the stage of the construction work on site. More indirect jobs will be created or sustained at local manufacturers and suppliers.
The contractors responsible for building the wind farm say they are committed to employing as many people from the local community as possible and procuring goods and services from the local community where feasible. During the 20 year operation of the wind farm, approximately 11 long term jobs will be created to operate and maintain the wind farm.
The site was chosen for its good wind resource, relatively flat topography, minimal environmental constraints and proximity to a 132kV Eskom grid line. Last year on 5 November 2012 the Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm project company signed a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement with Eskom, an Implementation Agreement with the Department of Energy and reached financial close with a syndicate of lenders led by ABSA.
Siemens Wind Power will provide expertise and technology for the supply, installation, and erection of turbines. The civil and electrical works – including construction of a new substation – will be completed by a joint venture between Murray & Roberts Construction and Consolidated Power Projects. The project is expected to supply energy to the national grid by mid 2014. Construction will be jointly managed by Mainstream and Globeleq, with Siemens maintaining the turbines for a period of 10 years.
Mainstream Renewable Power’s Chief Executive Eddie O’Connor said this was a great milestone for South Africa’s burgeoning renewable energy industry. “We are delighted to see this day after developing the Jeffreys Bay wind farm with our partners Genesis Eco-Energy since 2009. South Africa is endowed with an extraordinary wind and solar resource and Mainstream is developing more than 4,000 MW of wind and solar projects in South Africa to harness this free source of power.
“We commend the Government of South Africa for providing the right framework to establish this new industry and we look forward to continuing our long-term goal of bringing real and sustainable social and economic benefits to South Africa.”
Executive Mayor of Kouga Municipality, Booi Koerat, says the Kouga Council is proud to be part of this historic event and excited about the opportunities it presents to the region. “Sustainable and clean energy is the way of the future. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to support initiatives such as these. Kouga is well positioned to become the green energy capital of South Africa.
Speaking at the celebratory opening event, organised by Champagne Events, he added that the Council is grateful to the Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm for the role it will play in helping to reach that goal. The successful event was attended by guests representing the consortium members, the contractors and relevant communities, industries, municipalities and government representatives and those from the mainstream media.
Jonathan Hoffman, Senior Business Development Director for Globeleq said the event represented a great accomplishment for South Africa’s energy sector. “We broke ground on one of the largest wind projects across the African continent. The dedication and commitment of many individuals and organisations have made Jeffreys Bay Wind Power a reality.
He said the project added to Globeleq’s extensive African power generation portfolio, illustrating its ability to mobilise capital for sustainable and productive power generation investments. The company looked forward to working with the consortium partners, the contractors and community to successfully build the project on time, safely and within budget. In addition Globeleq would endeavour to help create and expand South Africa’s renewable business and continue to create more jobs.

 (edited)

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